Want to Pavlov-Yourself into Hating Skittles?

Rotten Zombie Skittles 

I've been putting a lot of overtime and odd-hours in at work, and it's left me feeling like the "Working Dead." (A must-listen for anyone working a 9-5.) Long story short, I may not be an actual zombie, but I certainly feel like one, so it's the perfect time to give these Rotten Zombie Skittles a try. (Against my better judgement.)   

My first impression of this item is that it's a lot of fun. Instead of using only spooky colors (like Sour Patch Kids), or re-releasing the same ol' product in spooky shapes (like Reese's), or even just changing the wrapping to a Halloween theme (like m&m's), Skittles' seasonal offering actually tries to put the "trick" back into "trick or treat." 

As a Halloween enthusiast, and food blogger I have to point out that the concept is certainly not original. Skittles took the Beanboozled concept, gave it a Halloween-themed coat of paint, and offered it in shareable portions as well as snack-sized Halloween giveaway baggies. But is giving away trickster, potentially inedible, candy for Trick or Treaters a good idea? I guess it all depends on how rotten this flavor truly is...it's time to find out.

The Power of VOO-DEW (Who Dew?) You Dew!

Mountain Dew Voo-Dew  - 7-Eleven

Move over Japan, America has it's own spooky mystery soda! What am I talking about? Well a few years ago Pepsi released spooky Halloween-themed mystery flavored cola in Japan. And I bought some on eBay and made a YouTube video about it because I love Halloween and I had a lot more free time back then. (I miss those days.) Check out the video below: 

As you can see, the Pepsi bottles had really cute labels (really really cute) but the flavor was subtle and a bit of a let-down. But, if all of Mountain Dew's other limited edition and seasonal flavors are any indication, this time things will be different.

"The universe tends to unfold as it should"

White Castle Gooey Butter Cake On A Stick - 7-Eleven

As a movie buff, and a life-long resident of New Jersey, I hate to break this to you, but there is no White Castle in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. (That's right, the 2004 film Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle is built on a foundation of LIES!) 

The aforementioned movie was filmed in Canada, and guess what? There are no White Castles there either. The one featured on-screen was a restaurant made to look like a White Castle for the movie, which then became a real burger restaurant called, Yuppie's Burgers. It's since been abandoned and cool urban explorers break in and write articles about it for nerds like me. (You can't make this stuff up people.)

So, like Harold and Kumar before me, I have to go on a 45-50 minute trek to consume tiny onion-filled burgers. It's a decent drive, that lacks Neil Patrick Harris, but I make this journey once or twice a year so I can stuff my face with fresh burgers. During my trips I've seen random menu offerings like BBQ pulled pork sliders and cheesecake on a stick, but I have never encountered butter cake. Since when is this a thing? And how can something so traditionally gooey stay neatly on a stick?   

These questions needed answers, so I grabbed a box and headed home to investigate.

Going Overboard at 7-Eleven

7-Eleven Mystery Monkeys & Nerds Slurpee

I can't remember why we stopped at 7-Eleven in the first place, but I ended up leaving with a Nerds Slurpee, some mystery monkey gummis, the new Voo-Doo Mountain Dew and some White Castle refrigerated butter cake slices on a stick. I've never seen these sold at actual White Castle locations, but I'm excited! 

For starters, let's chow down on some mystery candy with a candy flavored Slurpee chaser. (Voo-Doo Dew and White Castle will each be getting their own stand-alone reviews next week.) 

Nostalgia is Weird, Ring Pops are Weirder

Ring Pop Freeze - Dollar Tree

I can still recite the late 90's Ring Pop jingle by heart. (And I'm sure I'm not the only one.) 

"It's a lollipop without a stick, a ring of favor you can lick! In Wacky and Sour flavors too. Ooh, Ring Pop!" Tune into my brain on any given day and you'll likely hear the Crossfire jingle playing on loop with the Dum-Dums commercial popping in now and again for good measure. 

As vividly as I remember these commercials and their jingles, they actually played a very small part in my childhood. I mean, I never even played Crossfire, and I had maybe one hand's worth of Ring Pops as a kid. Still, whenever I see these things dredged up on a Buzzfeed "90's kids remember" list I feel this overwhelming flood of unearned nostalgia. 

All that build up has lead us to this point. I, a 32-year old lady, with my own money, mortgage, and responsibilities, saw a weird flavor of Ring Pops at Dollar Tree and I bought them for myself. 

How can something wet, be so dry? (I thought only alcohol could do that?)

Dry Sparkling Soda  - Aldi

I spotted these in the aisle at Aldi and my first thought was, "Ooh, pretty bottles!" Upon further inspection, these bottles aren't directly printed upon, they're covered in these shrink-plastic sleeves covered in delightful watercolor illustrations. Cute, and practical as far as production is concerned, but up-close they're pretty beat up. There are scuffs, nicks, and slashes all over them peeling back the wrapping and exposiing the glass bottle underneath. For something with such a lovely design, it's presentation gets lost in all the imperfections that come with shipping and displaying their item. Still, the concept of a potentially dry naturally flavored fruity soda is intriguing, so I picked the two prettiest bottles to review.   

Then, at the check-out, they rang up for almost five freaking dollars a bottle! A pretty steep price for a beverage, especially at Aldi, but I already committed to giving these a shot so I stuck with it. Now knowing the price, I'll be holding these up to a pretty high standard. Will these deliver? 

What Have I Done? - Korean Cheetos

Korean Cheetos  - H-Mart

I'm aware that the majority of reviews this year have been negative, and I don't know if it's because after all these years my palette has become more discerning, or if food companies are totally phoning it in. If it's the latter, is it an American-exclusive issue, or a worldwide epidemic? 

To test that theory, here we have two flavors of Korean Cheetos: White Corn Soup and Smoky BBQ.

Chocolate and Mint for Cookies? Groundbreaking.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo  - Target

Are you even a food blogger anymore if you don't try weird new Oreos? What was once fun, rare, and unique has now become a monotonous status quo. A food blogger blinks, and Oreo releases three more flavors. Can you keep up with it? And more importantly, are they even worth it?